*paull*

I love the cover to the Cap 10! Great stuff!

Nice book! The L.B. Cole Star Publications books with a couple of exceptions (Blue Bolt 111, 113, Shocking Mystery 51, Startling Terror Tales 11, etc.) are no problem to get in VG, but anything in F or better is pretty tough. I bought a few Star books over the past year in 5.0 or better and I feel pretty lucky to do so. I consider Star books in VG or less to be almost universally overpriced by dealers and very plentiful at shows. I've bought them directly from collectors for much more reasonable prices. I buy them regularly from collectors for about 50-60% of what dealers charge for them. I'm thinking of selling off some of my lower grade Cole books and trying to find ones in around 5.0.

There were a couple low grade (good?) copies on eBay over the past few months.

Thanks.... it's a bad photo, but the book looks very nice. I think it was a bit undergraded. I definitely don't say that often about books I've bought from dealers.

Here's the cover to Weird Mysteries #6, which is what I consider to be one of, if not _the_, most underrated pre-code horror covers. This cover features not only a severed and shrunken head, but a HUGE severed head with dangling arteries and veins hanging from the neck! Maybe the proximity to WM #5 has rendered this one unappreciated, but on its own merits, it's absolutely one of the most gruesome pre-code horror covers. No Wolverton story in this issue, and the stories aren't particularly gruesome. For this #6, I paid less than half of the price of my recent #5, and it's in slightly better condition. This particular copy is graded 3.5 raw, but man alive, if I could regularly find 3.5s that look this good, I'd be thrilled. There's a thin manufacturering crease on the cover, but if that's what keeps this from being a 4.0 or 4.5, I'll take that on any book.

I know absolutely nothing about the St. John titles..... I've never seen an interior story by them. The covers are cool, though! I really need to get that TTTTT set!

I'm going to buy a Weird Terror #5 soon, but I'll definitely have to check out the #4. Sounds like a keeper! BTW: Matt Fox rules!

The Don Heck Weird Terror covers are great.... that's one title that isn't represented in my collection and should be. What are the interiors like?

Halloween's coming! It's our responsibility to keep the pre-code horror rolling.... let's see your recent purchases!

I wish I could show the whole story here. I'm hesitant to open the book completely due to a staple that is not attached 100%. It's a shame that it was only reprinted in B&W because the coloring of the story is great..

another....

Splash page....

Here are some panels from Wolverton's "Swamp Monster" story from Weird Mysteries #5...

Interesting point... I think there's definitely a difference between a typical GA and an SA/BA collector. SA and BA books can find their way on the market via new GA collectors who want to liquidate old stuff in order to fund their new interests. But where does the GA collector go? He usually expands his collection instead of moving completely out of the hobby or into another area of comic collecting.

Well, I can tell you that based on what I just paid for a similar conditioned WM #5, you did pretty well on that investment There are still deals to be had, even on eBay, if you're not a condition freak. I've seen lots of good deals on pre-code horror lately. I bought a Weird Mysteries #6 in VG- for about $120 not too long ago. I'll be posting a pic of this one soon... it's one of my all-time favorites, and a book that I consider to be seriously underrated.

I agree completely... there are certainly many copies of the books that I mentioned in F - NM grades residing in collections unslabbed. But I do find it interesting that there hasn't been a single copy of WM #5 over 7.5 slabbed. Surely someone would want to take advantage of the astronomical price a high grade copy of the book would get in an auction... but I haven't seen one out there. Heritage also has never sold a copy. I can't imagine what a 9.2 copy would sell for. As a collector, I'm thrilled with VG copies of the books I seek out. I'm started collecting pre-code horror by seeking out low cost 2.0 - 2.5 copies, but I'm tired of dealing with problem staple areas, brittleness and missing chunks. I'm trying to stay at the 3.5 - 4.0 line or above.

That's a nice copy... the chip doesn't bother me since it doesn't affect the cover image. I'm sure that the book is worth far more now than when you first purchased it, even if it was after the late 90's pre-code horror boom. I was just looking at the CGC census and guess what the highest graded copy of WM 5 is..... a 7.5. Now it's very likely that some super high-grade copies are locked up in collections, but in comparison, it's interesting to note that the highest graded WM #1 is a 9.0 and the highest WM #2 is a 9.2. Even Horrific #3, another book I never see for sale, has a highest graded copy of 9.0 and another in 8.0. Mister Mystery #12 has three 8.0 copies as the highest graded, followed by three 7.5s.

As you can see by my many posts, it's one of my favorite titles. Classic covers by Baily, wacky interiors with wildly diverging art quality. At the high end, you have Wolverton, who can't be beat. I'll post some panels later...

Hey rjpb, in what condition is your WM 5? Ajaxfarrell, I believe the 11 cover is by Baily, too, right?

That's a great cover! The illustration is wild, but the word balloon seals the deal!

Thanks.... still have to pay off the credit card bill, though I'm in the process of cleaning out my longboxes in order to help!

Thanks all! Wow, a 7.5... I'd love to know what that sold for. I'm guessing over $2000 easy. No one here on the Boards has mentioned having a copy. Anyone have one? What grade? WM #5 is seriously hard to find... yet the other issues don't seem to be anywhere near as rare. Surely they are tucked away in collections, but I wouldn't be surprised if one or more collectors/dealers hoarded them at some point. I suspect the same is true of Horrific #3 and Mister Mystery #12.

Hey Shrunk, thanks a lot for the tip! It's not like I have money around to make purchases like these. I am beginning to feel the effects of spending way too much money on old comic books. I can't imagine what a CGC VF copy would sell for. Any estimates? I'm thinking maybe over $3000. May you find one at the OS price!

With all that said, I guarantee a copy shows up on ComicLink or eBay in the next month. Whenever I look hard for something and locate it, a flurry of them show up for sale!

Thanks... I don't use the term "grail" often, but this one qualifies for me. I've wanted a copy for about ten years, but actively looked for the past six months. I have other books that are on my list, including three L.B. Cole covers, but it will probably take me another ten years to locate those in a grade I can afford.